In case you weren’t already aware (we know you are), the restaurant scene on East Passyunk Avenue is pretty great. So great that another one of the restaurants on the Avenue is getting some extra praise on a national level.

Townsend, the French bistro at 1623 E. Passyunk Ave., was ranked as one of the 50 best new restaurants in America by Bon Appetit magazine.

The more things change, the more we yearn for them to stay the same. This is the allure of Townsend, which harkens back to a time when the tablecloths were starched, the sommelier was well-versed, and the only appropriate dessert was a flawless chocolate soufflé. Having earned his name at local institution The Rittenhouse, chef Townsend Wentz now has a place to call his own, and what a place it is. The elegant townhouse serves only a three-course menu (dessert is a la carte), which includes smartly executed renditions of seared duck breast over cassoulet, chicken-leg ballontine, and jumbo lump crab risotto. The good old days are here again.